Nine Dead After Learjet 60 Nose-Dives Into Palm Beach County Neighborhood

The crash happened Sunday afternoon in Palm Beach County, Florida. A Learjet 60 business jet, flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas, nose-dived into a neighborhood after falling from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute, the FAA said. The jet exploded near a busy roadway, killing all nine people on board, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The FAA said the crash occurred at about 12:50 p.m. Eastern time on November 1, 2026.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the incident as a "horrific tragedy" in a post on X. He confirmed that the FAA is dispatching a team to support the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation. The NTSB said Sunday it was launching a go-team, with investigators expected to arrive Sunday and Monday morning. A media briefing is scheduled for Monday in West Palm Beach. No cause for the crash has been determined at this time.

The aircraft, registered as N722BD, was owned by LR60271 LLC of Wilmington, Delaware, and listed online as available for charter. Jim Reynolds, a spokesperson for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, told the Associated Press the jet was a private aircraft and could not say who was on the flight. The FAA said the flight had departed from Austin and was heading to North Eleuthera Airport in the Bahamas.

Air traffic control recordings reveal the jet was flying east at roughly 35,000 feet when the pilots reported turbulence, icing, and precipitation. They requested a climb of 2,000 feet. Minutes before the crash, the pilot told the Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center that they were experiencing light, clear ice and moderate turbulence. The pilot also reported an outside air temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius and vertical turbulence of up to 700 feet.

The situation deteriorated rapidly after the request to climb. The pilot radioed a mayday, stating the jet was descending at 10,000 feet per minute, then accelerating to 20,000 feet per minute in an overspeed condition. The pilot declared they were "going to crash into the ground" and, according to CBS News, stated they were "out of time." The descent rate peaked at 30,000 feet per minute, pushing the aircraft beyond its design limits. The jet banked sharply to the right before striking the ground at a steep angle.

The FAA said the jet fell from 35,250 feet to 8,750 feet in one minute just before the crash. Flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange showed a drop of 27,000 feet in about a minute before the data cut off, CNN reported. CNN reported the jet passed through a stronger storm cell shortly before the descent. The area was covered by a convective SIGMET, a weather warning for thunderstorms that threaten aircraft. Scattered storms were present in the region, and heavy rain had fallen across the area on Sunday.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office located the crash site near Military Trail, between Cresthaven Boulevard and 10th Avenue North, in the city of Greenacres. Greenacres has a population of approximately 45,000 and is situated about seven miles southwest of West Palm Beach. The site is roughly four miles south of President Donald J. Trump International Airport. President Trump was in West Palm Beach earlier on Sunday and departed on Air Force One more than an hour before the crash.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visited the scene and described the event as a "cataclysmic plane crash." He told reporters the jet looked like a missile and left a large crater on the side of the road. DeSantis said there were no reports of people on the ground being killed or injured at the time of his news conference. He noted the debris field stretched a long distance and praised local first responders.

Video from nearby cars captured the jet plunging, striking near the roadway, and exploding. Flames surrounded chunks of pavement in the crater, which was feet from homes and inches from passing vehicles. Thick black smoke covered the area. Witness Anthony Blackmon, who was about 500 feet from the crash, said debris hit his house and the road was on fire. Another resident, Roger Forcelle, said the aircraft shook his house as it passed overhead. Andrew Mannino reported hearing a boom and losing power immediately.

About 600 residents of a nearby mobile home community had to leave their homes Sunday night because the crash scene blocks the park entrance. County officials said the area is being treated as a crime scene while federal investigators work. No official has alleged that a crime took place. Palm Beach County Commissioner Joel Flores said residents were being sent to two county shelters. The Red Cross was standing by, and Palm Tran buses were prepared to transport residents once law enforcement allowed the evacuation.

Military Trail was closed between 10th Avenue North and Purdy Lane/Alameda Drive, open only to emergency vehicles. The county recommended alternate routes for east-west and north-south travel. A county commissioner warned that the road could remain closed for an extended period due to the crater and the ongoing federal investigation.

Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general of the U.S. Transportation Department, stated that dashcam video would be important to investigators. She noted the descent was not controlled and indicated the pilots had lost control of the plane. The steep dive may have torn parts off the aircraft, and the explosion could have destroyed the flight recorder. It is unknown if the jet carried a cockpit voice recorder, as FAA rules require them for multi-engine jets only when flown for hire, though the jet was offered for charter.

According to Flight Safety Foundation data, this is the deadliest crash ever involving a Learjet 60. In 2008, four people died when a Learjet 60 crashed on takeoff in Columbia, South Carolina. NTSB records show this is the second deadliest crash in the United States this year, following a skydiving plane crash in Butler, Missouri, in June that killed 12 people. The Learjet brand was most recently built by Bombardier, which stopped making new Learjets in 2021 but still supports the models in service.